


Dancing of the Butterflies

by rwdaf



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Phan Angst, Soulmates, idk - Freeform, maybe ?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 18:14:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13687119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rwdaf/pseuds/rwdaf
Summary: Every year when death comes to life and the moon hides as the days linger, the royal family holds a celebration. Traveling the long journey from England to Paris every year in order to celebrate the downfall of the French Empire known as Valentine’s. Every year the celebration differs as no theme repeats and this year it’s a Masquerade Ball. The prince, Phil, is to meet a young princess who will rule over the British Empire with him one day. Things go astray when the brown eyes of a French peasant meet the prince’s and the prince chases him through the forbidden catacombs of Paris to unveil his identity.





	Dancing of the Butterflies

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the 2018 Valentine's Day theme for the Phandom Fic Fest!
> 
> ** I do not speak French myself, however I am taking French I. If I made any mistakes in the parts where French is spoken please let me know and I will do my best to correct it asap! **

**_London, England_ **

**_February 2_ **

The British Empire ruled over most of the countryside and places scattered around the world. Its power was undoubtedly strong; strong enough to take down the building empire in France whose power was growing at a rapid rate, and capture its main city and rule over it now. This victory was the king at the time’s greatest, which was passed down through the generations over many years.

The fair lands were rich with life and thriving. The forests held animals running freely and birds singing. The farmlands that surrounded the city were rich and crops were growing in the fields all around during the right seasons. Towards the inner city the roads were made of stone blocks and houses of wood and stone were through the city. Up towards the mountains, where streams ran and lakes where, was the castle of the royal family 

“Philip!” the maid servant, Elizabeth, harshly grumbled shoving the doors open. “Your parents are waiting downstairs.” 

Groaning, Phil rubbed his eyes and pulled the silk sheets over his head as Elizabeth pulled the dark curtains open letting the sunlight shine through. The stone walls soaked in the light instead of bouncing it off the walls which Phil was grateful for as Elizabeth came over. 

“Philip your parents are expecting you.” She said, annoyed. 

Phil knew what the weeks to come were and he wasn’t excited for it at all. Today was the day they head off on their week journey from the castle to travel to Paris for the Valentine Gala; where he would meet the Princess of the Lombards, who he would end up marrying and taking over the throne with when his parents passed. He believed that you should marry for love, not because it was tradition to have an arranged marriage like everyone else in the kingdom. The journey there his parents would tell him each day how excited they are for him to finally meet this girl. They would talk of him having children one day, preferably before he took over the kingdom. However he didn’t have  any interest in this; but he had no choice but to put on a smile and go along with it for his sake.

Pulling the silk sheets off him, leaving Phil exposed in nothing but dark shade boxers, Elizabeth snapped. “Get up now.”    
Rolling his eyes and grabbing the sheet from her to cover himself, he sat up. “I’m up, you can go.” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. 

“For a prince you have such terrible manners.” She said before storming out. 

Groaning once more he laid back down on the bed and stared up at the wooden ceiling of the frame on his bed. A dim light was added to the natural sunlight shining in from the torches that were placed on the walls. Standing, he went over and covered them to put them out and looked around his room. It was much too big for just one person, seeing as 3 could live here. Murals lined the ceiling telling stories of knights and noble warriors over the years. They had been here for years, since he was a young child, and each year small parts of the story were added to complete the masterpiece. 

“Sir?” A timid knock came from the doorway. Looking over Phil saw Royse who was one of the maidservants as well, but more shy and held back. 

“Royse you don’t have to call me sir, just Phil is fine.”   
“Right sorry si- Phil.” Brining in a tray of food, she sat in on the table beside his bed and removed the lid. “Your breakfast.and then your parents said you need to head down to start on to Paris.”

“Right, uh you can go now.” Waving to dismiss her, he stood up once she left. Looking to the tray she left he saw an assortment of bread, fruits and oats. The bread looked as it was days old and the oats didn’t look that much edible either; luckily he was served fresh fruit that were stored in the ice house, so they would remain their freshness, each day. 

In a tall wooden cup was ale, an alcoholic beverage, and even though nearly everyone that could get their hands on it drank this the prince didn’t care for the taste. Eating a couple of the berries he took the ale over to the window dumping it onto the ground below. 

Turning away from the window he froze when he heard someone yell from outside. Nervously turning back to the window he leaned out and looked down to see Elizabeth standing there. “Crap,” he muttered before closing the window. Running to his wardrobe he quickly changed into the comfiest outfit he had and ran out of the room. His footsteps echoed through the chamber halls as he ran down the man flights of stairs that seemed never ending. 

His bedroom was up on the third floor of the castle, where all the other bed chambers could be found except for the ones  the help slept in, which were on ground level. The long chamber which he was running there was almost like a stone tunnel with arches in the walls that let in light in from every angle. Casting a shadow behind him as he ran he could hear the wind rustling and the animals that lived outside the castle sing. Heading into the ballroom where his parents usually were, he panted out of breath. 

“Philip what is the matter with you?” His mother spoke looking worried at her husband. 

“Whatever Elizabeth says,” he paused in between in each word to try and catch his breath, “it isn’t true.”    
“Philip what did you do this time to the poor soul?” 

“Well that’s an interesting story you see,” Phil chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck nervously, “I don’t like ale, and you guys know that.” He watched his father raise his brow as a look of disappointment crossed his mother’s face. “Well I dumped it out the window and it landed on her.” 

Bellows of laughter came from his father who had to wipe a tear from his eye. “Henry!” his mother gasped, slapping him. “This isn’t funny.”

“Yes it is dear.”

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. “Go get your horse ready. We’re leaving soon.”

Nodding, Phil turned on his heel and headed to the front gates that would lead him to the stables. He could hear footsteps of the help rushing about gathering the things they would need on the trip there. Snow crunched under his feet as he stepped out and headed towards the stables. 

“Hey girl,” he smiled, walking up to a horse on the far right side, whose hair was a light chocolate brown with a white spot on her eye. Climbing up and sitting on the gate to her pen, he wrapped his arms around her as she laid her head on his shoulder. “It’ll be me and you behind everyone for the time being until we get there.” 

-

**_February 13_ **

As the days passed and the nights came, they had gotten closer to Paris. Instead of riding with his parents Phil decided to ride alone on his horse he had since he was young, behind everyone.  _ This ball better be worth the trip.  _ He thought as they came over the barren hills that would lead through the village of Paris to the main parts of the city.

It had rained the day before and his clothes were in the carriage leading the way which meant he couldn’t change until they arrived or tomorrow even when the ball would be held. 

Coming down the hills the prince saw the peasants of the village gather to meet the royal families coming in. He couldn’t help but feel horribly for the people here. It was his family, maybe they were his relatives from years prior to his birth, but it was still his family that took this happiness away. 

“Philip!” his dad pulled beside him on his horse. “You’ll stay back behind and talk to the townsfolk if they say anything. Understood?”

“Yes sir.”

**_Paris, France_ **

**_February 13_ **

Rays of light through the beamed through the barren hillsides onto the small village of Paris. People were stirring and children were starting to run through the streets, stirring dust. Small boys, equipped with their horse riding toys - just made from clothes and sticks - rampaged through; pretending that they were like their fathers who fought in the wars all that was heard was shouting. Girls sat at home playing with the dollies their mummies made and were helping to make dresses for the following weeks to come. 

The bakers in the square were starting to open, releasing the relishing smell of pastries baking. Elegance in the pastries were rare, but with the Valentine Gala that would be held - the royal family traveling here - the bakers needed practice to create the must lust filled snacks. 

The small villages were found in the outskirts of he city while in the center was the Grand Hall, where the gala was held each year. Flowers lined the brick roads that lead there and the building itself was made from the finest material of the time. A boy was walking through the center of the city - one of the places in which they weren’t allowed - gathering the finest flowers for the gala. 

Every year the royal families come from England and celebrate the capture of the once rich city. Paris used to be the most love and lust filled place in the world. People roamed the streets in celebration and danced under the stars when it was nightfall. 

Years prior, when the world was at war with one another, Paris still remained the loving country it had always been. Fireworks went off in the night sky and things were galant and peaceful until the royal guards from England came in. Little did the townsfolk their government was giving information to the other countries and made the city of Paris seem as though treason was acceptable. 

While a greater deal of the town hated this  _ celebration,  _ maybe because of the way the royals treated the townsfolk and their properties. A few years ago they had ties their horses, quite terribly, to the stables just on the edge of the village. The horses had ended up tearing through the ropes and went through eating the grass in the fields while trotting through their gardens and destroying the crops for that year. Some of the townsfolk were still upset with the royals from England destroying their once ravish and rich city, leaving them all to perish and suffer daily from the lack of necessities. 

-

Out along the dirt roads towards the south side there was a small house where the windows were small and held only two rooms; made from mainly wood and straw for insulation, was a small family of a widow and her two children. 

A daughter, no more than five year old, was found in the field playing with her brother, no more than seventeen. Laughter could be heard from the youngest of the two as her brother kicked the small ball they had made the day before to her.

Music was heard from the square and she paused and turned to look at him. “L’ours ,” she spoke, her accent not very well defined causing her to be hard to understand at times. “Can we see if the troubadours are there?”

Looking to where the music came from he sighed. “It’s probably the instruments for the gala.” People could be seen bringing musical pieces in on the carriages that the horses pulled. The wind came in gently, blowing the tall grass against his tanned legs and making him shiver lightly. He wore just a lightly tanned tunic, with the sleeves larger than his arms as he had to use string to hold them up. Around his waist was a leather belt that was tearing in multiple places from being worn so much over time. Pants made of wool and linen, in a dark brown shade, came to his knees as he hated them longer, even in the winter, so he always ripped them so they were shorter. 

“ S'il vous plaît!” she ran to him. Her brown hair was blowing in the wind behind her, casting an interesting shadow onto the ground. “You promised we’d see next time the music came back.”

Sighing, he picked her up. “Oui, I’ll take you.” He had a soft spot for the smaller child and could hardly resist saying no to her. He would often travel outside the village during the night when he was hardly able to be seen by travelers and steal things from farms to make her small cakes and pastries that way she had some kind of culture that was taken from them.  

Squealing in delight, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Merci.”

Heading down from the fields to the dirt roads, he walked inside the small house. “Mama,” he said, “Aurelien wants to go into town and see if the troubadours are back.” 

“Non.” She shook her head. “This is the time before the Valentine gala and the royals will soon be making their way from different parts of the world.” 

“Maman I promised her.” He pleaded slightly, frowning when he heard Aurelien sniffle. Rubbing her back lightly he looked at his mother once more. “Please mama? I’ll carry her the whole time.” 

A look of guilt washed over her face. Troubadours were people who would come through the town playing elegant music to tell stories of noble knights and heroes, and they didn’t come around often. She knew how much they meant to her daughter, as she loved storytellers and music which both could be a rare occasion, especially if her brother ran out of stories. 

“You have until the sun starts to set,” she sighed. 

Smiling, he walked over to his mom and kissed her cheek. “Merci mama.” 

“Be safe my darlings.”

Smiling, the two walked outside, Aurelien resting her head against her brother. He could see the horses that the royal families rode come in, and as they got closer to the path they were traveling on. He noticed how the other townsfolk were waving, the florists greeting them with flowers and the bakers greeting them with the finest pastries. 

“L’ours,” Aurelien whispered into his ear. “What’s going on?” 

“Kings and queens are coming for the dance tomorrow night. Princes and princesses from all over the world.” Gasping, she perked up and stared watching the horses as they made their way past. 

-

Phil smiled at the town as he rode through on his horse. Seeing a small group of kids, he stopped his horse and climbed off, smiling at them. It warmed his heart watching as they got excited that a prince was talking to them. He knew that growing up children are told stories of princes and princesses and how they always wanted to meet them. 

A young girl, with brown hair and fair olive skin, ran through the crowd and up to him. “L’ours said you’re a prince. Are you?” Right away Phil knew he would have slight trouble understanding her. Her accent wasn’t well developed yet which made it harder to understand the things she said. 

Smiling, he knelt down to her height and held out his hand. “I’m Phil and you are?”

“Aurelien,” she smiled and put her hand in his. Compared to Phil’s cold and chapped hand, hers were warm and fair. “That’s l’ours.” Aurelien smiled and pointed back to her brother. 

“L’ours?” Phil asked, raising his eyebrow as she giggled. Listening as she corrected him on the pronunciation of the word he nodded. 

“It means bear, that’s what I call  mon frère.”

“Mon frère?” He asked.

“You don’t speak French?”

Chuckling he shook his head. “Sadly not Aurelien. I wish I could, it’s a very pretty language.”

Nodding in agreement she pushed her hair out of her face. “I don’t know much of it. L’ours usually talks to me in English.” 

“Can I meet l’ours?”

Walking through the crowd he murmured ‘pardon’ and walked carefully up to them. Bowing his head slightly he said. “Your highness.” 

The prince smiled at him, more so his accent. It was heavy and unique from the accents he heard when he traveled through the town with parents going places. “Please, you can call me Phil.”

“Daniel. Dan works to.” He spoke, holding his hand up to meet the princes. Again compared to the princes rough, cold hands Dan’s were warm and soft. “Are you uh - excited for the ball?” Dan asked him with anxiousness coursing through his warm veins, spreading out the entire length of his body. Being in front of the prince was nerve racking not to mention how terrifying it seemed. His mind was running at a thousand thoughts per second. Dan knew he was a person, made of skin and bones with a beating heart, but knowing he had power - the power to change Dan’s entire life in a split second if he even wanted to, terrified him to no end. 

The sun faded from the sky, disappearing behind the clouds that rolled in from the north and the wind chill dropped. Cold winds swept through entangling them bringing the snow fall down with it. 

“L’ours look,” Aurelien yelled as he bent down and picked her up.”Il neige.” Confusion once again plastered itself onto the princes face as he looked between the two. “That means it’s snowing.” She giggled as the prince chuckled before hoping back onto his horse.   
“I should be going now. It was lovely to meet you.” Phil told them, before riding off on his horse to catch up with his parents. 

**_February 14_ **

Chatter and footsteps vibrated the Earth as everyone from all over started pouring in through over the bridge to head to the center of the city. The women wore elegant gowns made from the finest silks and bedazzled with rarest jewels. The men wore tops made of silk, dyed to be black to mimic the night sky,  and pants made from the darkest wool. Women wore makeup, mainly to bring attention to their eyes which were hidden behind a mask. 

Everyone that walked through the gates had one thing in common which were the masquerade masks they wore to hide their identity. Not everyone knew each other, so it did keep their identities covered which was part of this mystery. Some masks were colorful, some were dull and metallic but all were unique to the individual.

Prince Philip walked through the crowd, he tied the silk strings behind his head, adjusting the mask onto his face. He himself had made his and even though he wasn’t looking forward the plans the night held, he loved the mask. It was a deep royal blue with sparkles mixed into the pigment on the left side that faded into an elegant gold that held dark sparkles in the pigment. Metal that was melted down into a mold of swirls and dots that were, once cooled, assembled onto the mask to bring everything together.

“Philip!” the king said with a smile plastered on his as he wrapped his arm around his son. “Come, I have someone who wants to meet you.”

Following his dad, the prince was used to this. He was used to people always wanting to meet him, follow him around, that was the price he had to pay he would think to himself, for being the prince. People smiled at him as he walked through, some waving met with him waving politely back to him. 

A man, about as tall as his father and taller than himself walked up to them, a half smile on his face. Unlike his father this man had a dark beard that met his sideburns and went into the curls on his head. He wore a dark evergreen silk top with a black coat like item on his shoulders.

“Ah this must be Philip,” he yelled over the chatter of the crowd. 

“Philip this Edward Auguste, the King of the Lombards.”

Bowing his head slightly, Phil shook his hand. “Nice to meet you sir.” 

“Manners I appreciate that. Maven will be delighted to meet you.”

The musicians on the balcony started playing suddenly and the torches on the walls that were unlit were being lit. Everyone was pairing up and starting to dance around them and the king laughed. “I’ll find you all later when Maven arrives.” he yelled before turning to walk back to find his wife, Phil presummed. 

Walking through the crowd, Phil made his way to the side of the room where the food was. Pastries, cakes, elegant meals and wooden casks filled with ale lined the tables on the wall. 

Grabbing a plate, Phil made his way down to where the cakes were. Staring down to the ground as he walked, he saw the shoes of people and then collided with someone. His body crashed into someone, sending them both onto the ground in one crash. 

“Sorry!” Phil yelled over the music, looking to the other person, who was rubbing his head. The person who he had crashed into went to say something, but stopped. Phil looked into his eyes, they looked familiar but he couldn’t figure it out. Swirls of different shades of a deep, lighter brown that were infused into a deep stared at him. Almost like the fireworks that were exploding in the night sky. Through the windows Phil could see the lights from them illuminating everything from the inanimate objects to the people walking around. 

For some reason, his mind suddenly went cloudy. He couldn’t think of anything in this moment other than his eyes. What they’ve seen, the stories behind why he looked scared and many more. Phil also couldn’t help but notice how beautiful his eyes were. It was odd, he never thought that about someone in the past, so why was he now?

The person who Phil had run into visibly tensed up before scrambling to his feet. Bolting through the crowds, he ran towards the front doors, bumping into a few people. “Wait.” Phil yelled standing up himself and running after him. Muttering  _ sorry  _ to the people he bumped into along the way he ran out of the front doors and looked around. People were laughing and chattering all around the gardens and sitting on the benches listening to the music play and the fireworks go off. Colors of blue and red illuminated the areas around and casted shadows onto the sides of people’s faces. 

Looking around, Phil was trying to find him but he couldn’t. He could feel his heart pounding with each beat and the sweat beading on his forehead. Taking the mask off his face, he through it to the ground and sighed in defeat. 

“I guess that’s it then.” he mumbled to himself. Going to turn around he noticed someone staring at him. Someone familiar, someone who tensed and started running away again. Eyes widening Phil started running after him again. 

The wind tangled him in a chill hug that was holding him back slightly along the way. Dust was being thrown behind him every time his foot hit the dirt roads of the inner city.  Panting, he stopped for a moment, watching before running again.

Confusion crashed into him just as a wave crashed onto the shore as he watched him run into this building and then disappear down into the dark abyss. Looking around he noticed a torch that was lit on the side of a building just in his reach. Running he grabbed it and made his way down into the same path he watched him take. 

Heading down the stairs he could hear the echo from every step bounce off the walls. His breathing was slightly rugged and his chest was heaving. At the bottom of the steps he froze in his tracks and his eyes widened. An icy chill ran through his veins running the entire length of his body. Along the walls were bumps and ridges and looking closer he noticed they weren’t designs but skulls. 

“The catacombs..” he whispered to himself. Hesitantly he started walking through the halls, the walls and what he knew lie behind them screaming at him. It was his family’s past that helped cause this and he couldn’t help but feel disrespectful just being there. It tore at his inside and made him feel uneasy. 

A labored breathing could be heard from the distance and Phil perked up. “Hello?” he said. “I- I’m sorry, I just wanted to apologise for what happened and -”

Phil was cut off when he walked in shakily from around the corner. His mask was off and Phil’s eyes widened. “Dan?” Dan nodded hesitantly and looked to the ground. “You could have gotten in trouble, what were you doing there?” Phil asked gently, trying not to startle him any more than he already had. 

Inside Phil could feel his heart pound and his lungs expand with each breath. Suddenly he was nervous and he had no idea why, he didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on. He met Dan the previous day and none of this happened. They had a small, quick conversation and that was that. This time everything was different. 

He had heard stories of what people called  _ dancing of the butterflies  _ which told stories of how people acted when they fell in love. How they got nervous and their palms would sweat and how it would feel like they were surrounded by butterflies flying, or  _ dancing _ , around them bringing them a sense of wonder and amazement, which is what he felt now in front of Dan. 

“I wanted to see you again.” Dan whispered. “You see we tell the story of _la perte de l'âme soeur_ which is the lost soulmate.” Looking at Phil, Dan saw his eyes clearly for once. They were like a portal to a whole other dimension that he could clearly see. One where life was joyful and full of the most rewarding things. One where love thrived again in everyone and romance blossomed just as the flowers did in the spring. 

“The lost soulmate?” Phil asked. 

Nodding dan brushed the hair from his face. “It’s goes by saying when you see the person, you were destined to be with, everything changes. You can see love in their eyes and you’ll feel comfort being around them. It’s like this feeling comes crashing into you and you want to feel it as much as possible.”

“Is that why you were there? Even though you know being caught there could cost you everything?”

“Oui,” Dan sighed shaking his head before pacing back and forth. “I - I just had to see if it was just the fact you’re a prince or if the story is true. I know I’m a peasant and you’re royalty but I just had to know.”

“We tell the story called  _ the dancing of the butterflies.  _ It’s like yours but it’s when you know you started to fall in love from the first glance. Just like you fall in love with a butterfly, just from laying your eyes on it.” Phil chuckled and looked at Dan, who still looked nervous and scared. “Who knows, maybe you are my dancing butterfly a-”

“And you could be the lost soulmate.” Dan cut him off promptly, muttering a quick sorry before hanging his head. “Even so, you’re a prince and I’m a peasant, our worlds don’t go together.”

“We’d never know Dan, unless you take a chance.”

Looking at him, Dan could feel the sweat on his palms beading more and more. Maybe the stories were slightly far fetched, after all they were stories. But Dan saw a whole new world in his eyes, that maybe symbolized, the stories would come true. 


End file.
